[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 113 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 24, 2009

  Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding the three earmarks I secured as part of H.R. 3293, 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  My first request, totaling $250,000, will come from the Fund for the 
Improvement of Secondary Education (FIPSE) within the Higher Education 
account at the Department of Education for Rockford College in 
Rockford, Illinois to modernize classrooms, library resources, and 
science laboratories with technology to significantly enhance student 
learning. The 2000 Census shows the Rockford area lagging significantly 
behind the rest of the State of Illinois in the numbers of residents 
with a four year higher education degree. The City of Rockford also has 
one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, reaching 15.2 
percent in June--a level not seen since 1983. Rockford College is one 
of the oldest and most prestigious private liberal arts colleges in the 
United States. The College is working to be more competitive in the 
marketplace by improving teaching and learning while also equipping 
students with the skills needed for tomorrow's workplace. Continued 
federal funding is needed to prevent the loss of this treasure by 
helping to upgrade antiquated classrooms and labs at Rockford College 
and convert them to modern smart classrooms as part of their long-term 
modernization program. The College will continue to seek matches from 
other sources including state and local governments as well as private 
donors. The funds would be used to add fiber infrastructure; modernize 
library resources with technology and collaborative teaching 
environments; equip science laboratories and a computer classroom to 
significantly enhance student learning; and a classroom-use 
optimization tool in the registrar's office to automate the management 
of limited classroom resources. Rockford College has received funding 
in the past for similar initiatives ($195,000 in Fiscal Year '08 and 
$238,000 in Fiscal Year '09). The entity to receive funding for the 
classroom, library, and laboratory upgrades is Rockford College located 
at 5050 East State Street in Rockford, Illinois 61108.
  My second request, totaling $100,000, will come from the Higher 
Education account at the Department of Education for the Special 
Education District of McHenry County, Illinois to help fund the 
Pathways Program to meet the needs of students with intellectual 
disabilities. The Pathways Program in McHenry County helps students 
with intellectual disabilities including individuals on the autism 
spectrum to achieve career and technical education training at McHenry 
County College. This federal funding will assist all McHenry County 
schools as well as help McHenry County College meet the needs of an 
underserved student population. The program will address crucial 
education goals to close the gap for preparing young adults with 
intellectual disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, with 
the necessary vocational skills for living independently. This 
investment will save federal, state and local government tax dollars by 
enabling this population to live independently and develop the work 
skills necessary to support themselves. The entity to receive funding 
is the Special Education District of McHenry County, located at 1200 
Claussen Drive, Woodstock, Illinois 60098.

  My final request, totaling $250,000, will come from the Construction 
and Modernization of Health Facilities and Services account under the 
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help complete building the 
National Center for Rural Health Professions at the University of 
Illinois, College of Medicine in Rockford, Illinois. To achieve the 
goals of training more physicians for rural service, a state-wide 
program was created in 1993 by the College of Medicine in Rockford 
involving approximately 30 rural hospitals and communities. The Rural 
Medical Education Program (RMED) has since been nationally recognized 
as one of the most innovative rural health medicine programs. The 
National Center for Rural Health Professions at the University of 
Illinois, College of Medicine in Rockford, will build on this success 
by serving as a national rural health education resource for medical 
colleges and rural communities across the nation. The Center will 
conduct research, develop curricula, implement and evaluate rural 
medical and health care education models, provide consultation to other 
medical colleges, and study trends in rural health related to health 
professional training needs. Medical colleges throughout the U.S. can 
use the research findings and curriculum models to implement training 
for rural health professionals to practice in medically under-served 
rural areas in their respective states. The College of Medicine has 
raised $4 million in private funds toward this $32 million expansion 
project. Another $14 million has been committed by the University of 
Illinois, and the university will also receive state funding to help 
complete the project. This project has received federal funding in the 
past ($238,000 in Fiscal Year '09) because of the potential national 
reach of this program. The entity to receive funding is the University 
of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford Campus, located at 1601 
Parkview Avenue in Rockford, Illinois 61107.
  Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman 
of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative David Obey, and 
the Ranking Minority Member, Representative Jerry Lewis, and the 
Ranking Minority Member of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Representative 
Todd Tiahrt, for working with me in a bipartisan manner to include 
these three critical requests in this spending bill.

                          ____________________